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Peer Review

Tissue Types

Reviewed:

Jan 10, 2025 by Biology
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Ratings

Overall Rating: 4.8 stars
Content Quality: 4.8 stars
Effectiveness: 4.8 stars
Ease of Use: 4.8 stars
Overview:

This website from the University of Leeds is part of a larger Histology Guide. It includes tutorials about each of the four tissue types, complete with illustrations and histology slides. There is an accompanying auto-graded quiz for each tissue type.

Type of Material:

Most of the information is presented as reference material. Furthermore, it emulates the experience of using a microscope through pictures of histological structures.

Recommended Uses:

Material can be used in the class, but would likely be more beneficial for use at home to supplement learning.

Technical Requirements:

This site requires a web browser, such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, etc.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

The main aim of this website is to give you a virtual experience of using a microscope rather than just trawling through text and figures, or even a set of powerpoint slides.  The site is divided into topics, which may be worked through in any order. You can see histological slides on the pages and can turn labels on or off to help them identify features.  In some cases, there is a section like a 'virtual microscope' in which you can scan around a large picture using the mouse and try to identify features. This emulates as closely as possible the experience of using a microscope.  Students can also zoom in on a slide, having identified an area of interest. Finally, there are several quizzes to try when you feel you have worked through the topic.

Target Student Population:

Undergraduate students will benefit from this site as well as students in advanced High School classes.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

There are no prerequisites, though a basic understanding of biology will help in understanding what is presented on this site.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:

  • The site covers all basic tissue types and includes a description, a diagram, and an image of each tissue
  • No errors were found in the material
  • "Quizzes" are provided in the form of crossword puzzles
  • In addition to tissues, basic microscopy and staining of tissues is provded
  • Basic cell information is covered
  • Ability to turn annotations on and off are a good way to review tissue structures
  • Information is a comprehensive survey of what might be expected in a histology clas
Concerns:

  • The site is not intended as a detailed histology course; did not see transitional epithelium in that section
  • There is little flow to the material presentation; students have keep clicking on different pages.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:

  • Specific learning outcomes are provided for each section
  • There are several ways the material could be incorporated into a course
    • As a prelimary to lecture
    • As a stand alone tutorial
    • As a review after class and prior to exams (including lab exams)
  • Students can go back over any of the tissues whenever they need to do so
  • Crossword puzzle type quizzes can help students learn the terminology--a major issue for students in Anatomy and Physiology courses
  • The blend of text and pictures allows the user to receive a comprehensive understanding of the material presented
Concerns:

  • There were no concerns about potential teaching effectiveness at the time of this review

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:

  • Information is well-organized
  • Navigation is simple and intuitive
  • No defective links or major bugs were found
  • The information is organized and follows a logical order
  • Learning outcomes are easy to use
Concerns:

  • Navigation could be improved by providing an initial list of all sections
Other Issues and Comments:

Would recommend the site to my first semester A & P students.  Good job!

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